Lettering guide



' May 14, 1935. H. s. VAN HOEFEN 2,001,640

LETTERING GUIDE Filed March 5, 1934 INVENT R I myymva ATTORNEY Patented May 14, 1935 PATENT} OFFICE LETTERING GUIDE Harry S. Van Hoefen, St. Louis, Mo.

Application March 5, 1934, Serial No. 714,133

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a lettering guide and has for its primary object to provide an instrument of this character, wherein the same can be adjusted to permit of the use thereof by a right handed or a left handed draftsman and will prevent ink from smearing the paper or other material on which lettering is being executed, there being no necessity for the raising of the instrument from the work, as such instrument can be shifted upon the work during contact and is susceptible of adjustment according to the slant of lettering as may be desired.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an instrument of this character which is extremely simple in its construction, readily and easily adjusted to suit the characteristic of the user, whether a right handed 01' left handed draftsman, showing neatness in the execution of the lettering, light in weight yet strong and durable, and also inexpensive to' manufacture.

With these and other objects in view,'the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which discloses the preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing: 7

Figure l is a perspective view of the instrument placed in position for use by a right handed draftsman for lettering work.

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view showing by full lines the instrument in the adjusted position shown in Figure 1 and by dotted lines the adjustment thereof for use by a left handed draftsman.

Figure 3 is a side edge elevation.

Figure 4 is a bottom edgeelevation.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates generally a portion of a drawing board, B a portion of a sheet for the execution thereon of lettering and C the conventional type of T- square as employed by draftsmen in the execution of drawing work, the same being also usable with the lettering guide constituting the present invention and hereinafter fully described.

The lettering guide comprises a pair of legs [0 and ll, respectively, these being preferably made from sheet metal and the said leg H is" flat and provided with a curled outer end #2 which constitutes a'finger grip, while the opposite end I3 of said leg is formed with a rounded end edge 54 and swingingly connected to 5 this end of said leg ll is the leg H).

The leg it has the cutaway portion I5 to provide the ear 5% having the bend I I for its offset from the plane of the major portion of said leg ill and equal to'the thickness of the leg H, the ear H5 being connected to the end l3 by a pivot coupling 18, the same being in the nature of a friction pivot, so that the legs l0 and H can be swung with relation to each other and frictionally held in adjusted position.

The leg I 0, by the formation of the cutaway portion l5 therein, provides at one longitudinal side an extended guiding portion H! which is formed with the upwardly directed longitudinal- 1y disposed crimp or ridge 20 providing a raised free guiding edge 2! which is elevated above the plane of the major portion of the leg l0 and the said leg H, as willbe clearly apparent from Figure 5 of the drawing, and the purpose of this is to prevent the smearing of the work when the artificer is using ink for lettering purposes, as this free edge 21 is at all times considerably away from the work and does not permit any ink lodged there to come in contact with the work, that is, the sheet B, during the execution of lettering thereon.

It Will be obvious that the leg ll may be swung to the right or to the left of the leg I 0 and in this latter position the instrument is handy for use by a left handed draftsman and when said leg II is at the right of the leg I the instrument is such for its use by a right handed draftsmanthis being illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing.

The scribing instrument for lettering purposes will engage the edge 2i of the leg Iii or the inner edge of the leg ii and its is unnecessary after once placing the instrument upon the work to lift the same therefrom in the procedure for the execution of lettering work. It is desired, in the use of the instrument, to have the leg II abut the T-square C, with its head contacting with the left hand edge of the drawing board A, as clearly shown in Figure l of the drawing.

The ear It carries an indicator mark 22 for ,60'

coaction with a scale 23 on the end I3 so that it can be determined the extent or the angular adjustment of the legs I0 and H with respect to each other for the execution of any slant of lettering desired and in straight lettering the 55 legs I0 and II are atright angles to each other, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing.

What is claimed is:'

1.'An instrument of the kind described comprising a pair of pivotally connected legs having straight guiding edges, one of said legs being formed with a crimp longitudinally thereof to present an elevated free end edge with respect on the other of said legs.

2. An instrument of the kind described comprising a pair of pivotally connected legs having straight guiding edges, one of said legs being formed with a crimp longitudinally thereof to present an elevated free end edge with respect to'the plane of said legs, an ofiset earformed on one of the legs to bring both legs in a common plane, a friction pivot swingingly connecting the legs together, and a rolled end formed on the other of said legs, one 1881081118 provided with a 'scale and the other with a marker co-'- operating therewith. r

' HARRY S. VAN HOEFEN. 

